THE DIARY OF MALCOLM X (NOVEMBER 2013) (3314 hits)
The Diary of Malcolm X
Third World Press seeks assistance with the publicity, marketing and production costs of publishing the Malcolm X Diary, set to be released in November of 2013.
Hello, my name is Haki Madhubuti. I am the founder and publisher of Third World Press, America’s oldest independent publisher devoted to works for, by, and concerning African Americans and others.
We are very grateful that Malcolm’s children have granted us the opportunity to publish The Diary; it is the most important volume we have ever brought to the public, after more than 46 years in publishing.
I am presenting this information to you because we need your help to do this in the manner that honors and respects the importance of Malcolm. While we have been the leading publisher of great works of many renowned authors including Gwendolyn Brooks, Chancellor Williams, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Barbara Ann Sizemore and many others, we have never sought commercial blockbusters. Our books were largely focused on smaller, often academic markets.
While we have published hundreds of important works over 46 years, the recent recession and changes in the publishing industry have taken their financial toll on TWP. While many independent publishers have simply disappeared, the devoted staff and supporters of Third World Press have done whatever it takes to survive. Through their hard work and financial support we have remade the Press, and are on the brink of a new and brighter future. We have a strong new distributor relationship, having partnered with one of the world’s largest distributors and printer of books. We are converting much of our inventory so that we can meet the demands of the ebook customer, and we have assembled a great new lineup of books for publication in the next few months.
The first and most important of these is The Diary of Malcolm X, which will be released in November 2013. This exciting document was edited and annotated by author and journalist Herb Boyd in collaboration with Malcolm’s and Betty’s third eldest daughter, Ilyasah Al-Shabazz.
In it we see the deep reflections of this transformative figure as he developed a new vision for the elevation and integration of the African Diaspora in the context of the world changing events that are having so great an impact on today’s headlines, both in the United States and throughout the world.
What We Need & What You Get
We need your help because a book of this importance needs to be supported with an appropriate campaign of public relations and marketing. These costs far exceed our resources. Even the costs incurred to date, and the costs of initial printing, are beyond our financial capacity without your help.
Thankfully, we believe that you will be there to allow us to make this undertaking a great success; to help us to let the world at large know of the opportunity to become reacquainted with Malcolm X in a manner that is more personal than any previous encounter. We believe we can count on you to help make this a best seller.
We believe that you, our supporters, deserve to be the recipients of meaningful rewards for your participation in this campaign and we welcome you as old friends and new to the family of the Third World Press.
As a token of our gratitude, we have taken the time to put together some perks in exchange for your support: $37.50: A Clothbound copy of The Diary of Malcolm X $75: Clothbound copy of The Diary of Malcolm X signed by IlyasahAl-Shabazz, Herb Boyd, and Haki R. Madhubuti 100: A Clothbound copy of The Diary of Malcolm X signed by Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Herb Boyd, and Haki R. Madhubuti and a copy of BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY Malcolm X: Real, Not Reinvented Critical Conversations on Manning Marable's Biography of Malcolm X, edited by Herb Boyd, Ron Daniels, Maulana Karenga, and Haki R. Madhubuti. $500: Clothbound copy of The Diary of Malcolm X signed by Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Herb Boyd, and Haki R. Madhubuti; dinner with Haki Madhubuti in Chicago; library of 15 TWP titles; and tour of Third World Press. $1000: Clothbound copy of The Diary of Malcolm X signed by Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Herb Boyd, and Haki R. Madhubuti; library of 15 TWP titles; and dinner with Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Herb Boyd in New York City.
The Impact
Malcolm X was one of the most important contributors to the advancement of human rights and human dignity in the last century. His words and actions have moved nations and peoples.
In coming weeks, the world will see, The Diary of Malcolm X, printed contents of his private diary from the year 1964. This Diary, recorded by Malcolm during the year immediately preceding his assassination, describes his travels to many nations, and meetings with numerous world leaders. In these pages, Malcolm describes the deep emotional connections he developed during a period that was constantly colored by his prophetic sense of impending tragedy. Recovered recently from the memorabilia maintained by the family, he lays out his unique action plan for African Americans.
“The publication of The Diary of Malcolm X is a great historical event in African American intellectual history. Reading these entries has the effect of overhearing a profound thinker’s most private and uncensored thoughts about everything from his split with Elijah Muhammad to the cost of 16mm film in Accra. I found this a riveting and deeply moving experience, one that only made me even sadder at the senselessness of his assassination. Every student of Malcolm X, and the history of black political leadership, should read this compelling book.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Director, The Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research Harvard University
Other Ways You Can Help Help us spread the word about this important campaign! Paste this link on your Facebook page. Tweet your followers about it’s importance. Indiegogo share tools make sharing easy. Spread the word about The Diary of Malcolm X amongst your friends, family, coworkers, etc. Become a fan of Third World Press and The Diary of Malcolm X on Facebook, and follow TWP on Twitter, so that you can quickly and easily receive updates, and spread the word. Recommend The Diary of Malcolm X as a resource for teachers and students.
Family of Malcolm X sues to prevent publication of diary theguardian.com, Sunday 10 November 2013 16.09 EST
The family of Malcolm X has launched a lawsuit to stop the publication of a diary of the late civil-rights leader's last year.
The Diary of Malcolm X, a reproduction of a private diary kept as he travelled to the Middle East and Africa immediately before his assassination, is due to be published this week, according to Third World Press, a Chicago-based company. The publisher lists one of the leader's six daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz, as a co-editor.
But in papers filed to Manhattan federal court, according to the Associated Press, heirs to Malcolm X say Third World Press does not have the right to publish it.
Bennett Johnson, the vice-president of Third World Press, said it had a signed contract with one of Malcolm X's daughters. A video on the website of Third World Press shows Shabazz speaking about the book, alongside journalist Herb Boyd, who is also listed as co-editor.
"It's really beautiful that we get to see Malcolm in his own voice – without scholars, historians or observers saying what he was thinking or what he was doing or what he meant" Shabazz says.
The book is due to be published on 14 November, the film notes.
Boyd said the diary took in the activist's trips to the Middle East and Africa. According to the company's website, the diary "described the deep emotional connections [Malcolm X] developed during a period that was constantly colored by his prophetic sense of impending tragedy". Text on the website also says that the writings, which set out a "unique action plan for African Americans", were recently recovered from the memorabilia maintained by the family.
The journals are part of a trove of papers that were loaned to the New York Public Library by Malcolm X's daughters in 2003.
Monday, November 11th 2013 at 11:35AM
Siebra Muhammad
